The Third Law
by Darkspace7
Summary: "They will stand at your side on the top of the world. They will be there for you at your best and your worst. Because family, no matter how flawed and dysfunctional they may be are still family." A boy, once lost, is found but not quite by who you would expect. The final part of the "Laws of Robotics AU" Trilogy.


**A/N: _...I think I pretty much burnt out my space bar making this so I'm going to keep things short._**

 _ **This piece is the last in the**_ **"Laws"** _**trilogy and thus takes place in my**_ **"Law of Robotics AU" _._**

 _ **This is quite obviously a work of fanfiction so as such I think it is pretty much evident that I do not own**_ **Megaman Battle Network _,_** **Megaman NT Warrior** **_and or the manga in any way shape or form and all rights go to their respective titleholders._**

 ** _As a bit for warning here I'll give you a hint: There's a unlucky kid who manages to get into a fight with an hobo._**

 ** _... And you know? I always sort of thought that Meijin was related to the Hikari's in some way or another. Either by the virtue of being the twin's godfather or maybe kind of second cousin or something on their mother's side. But that's just me._**

* * *

 _"A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws."_

* * *

The young figure dove into the shadowed alcove, his heavy panting sounded loud and harsh against the staticed roar in his auditory systems. He needed to stop for a second; take advantage of the brief lull to catch his breath. Brown optics slid shut as he leaned up against the wall, simply content to focus on the slowly steadying rhythm of his chest.

That had been way too close.

He slit an eye, peering out into the darkened paths of the complex. A quick glance told him that nothing was coming and his shoulders slumped with a relieved sigh. Though the particular area he now found himself in appeared to be deserted it didn't hurt to be careful. With the soothing chill of the brickwork at his back he allowed himself a moment to just _think_.

Navigating in the dark wasn't easy and he didn't know if it was because it was so early in the morning or what but the amount of security that needed to be bypassed was _ridiculous_. It was only thanks to his familiarity with Scilab's maze-like infrastructure that had permitted him to even get this far in the first place. Even with the rather circuitous path he had opted to take he'd still had to dodge no less than three different guard patrols, backtrack _twice_ to escape the unfaltering gaze of the surveillance cameras, and even had to quickly duck behind a water fountain in order to avoid a group of dead-eyed looking assistants clustered around a vending machine; all of whom were downing energy drinks as if their lives depended on it. So, all in all, it had honestly been kind of fun.

Pushing himself up and away from the wall he took a deep breath, ' _Alright enough of that now._ ' Shifting on the balls of his feet, he tensed, ' _Time to go._ ' And off he went, careening away in a dead sprint.

A right, then left, then right again. He skidded into a turn, bare feet pounding against the pavement. The brown-haired bot glanced up, gaze trailing over the open greenspace to that which lie beyond. Dark optics widened.

 _Jackpot_.

Spurred on by the thought of finally achieving his goal his feet carried him forward. His small frame ducked and wove, carving a path across the grass until he safely reached the other side. Now the only thing that stood between him and freedom was the treeline.

He dove forward without as second thought.

"Oof!" He hit the ground with a thud, rolling a bit before finally coming to a stop. The boy-bot blinked somewhat dizzily up at the leafy canopy above. ' _I...I did it?_ ' He let out a disbelieving puff. Had he actually managed to sneak out of Scilab without being caught by the guards and his leaving his friends and family none the wiser?

 _'Alright! Score one for Hikari!_ ' He did a mental fist pump and huffed out a breathy laugh only to freeze not a second later when he heard something rustle in the grass behind him. Ah _hell_ was that security? _Already_? He hadn't been outside the property line for more than a minute and they were already after him? Well nuts to that! His brow furrowed as he donned a look of determination. There was no way he had come all this way just to be dragged back at the very last moment. This thought cemented in mind, he quietly pulled himself up and forged onward into the underbrush.

[ X ]

All was silent save for the intermittent swaying of the trees and the faint crackle of brush underfoot. The farther he walked the greater the tension that bled from his frame as he slowly allowed himself to relax. ' _Wow._ ' He let out a soft hum, ' _Never really noticed how different everything was in the dark like this._ '

And that it most certainly was. As so the trees above as was the ground below; all had been quieted under the dark of night. Hell, even the air seemed -for lack of a better word- _restful_. Truth be told, if he had been a bit more leery of the dark and what it could hold, he might've called the forest a bit 'spooky' or perhaps even 'downright creepy' but in the absence of all of this all he felt was a sense of calm.

He came to a stop at the base of a large birch tree, his palm resting against its trunk. The papery bark felt rough against his bare skin. He shuttered his optics. The staticed roar that had been slowly building behind his ears since that first nightmarish incident had finally died down until it was nothing more than a simmering whisper in the back of his processors. The boy-bot let out a relieved sigh. It seemed that a hefty dose of nature had been just what he needed. Which...made sense, he supposed.

He'd never done too well being cramped up indoors for too long. He would always get twitchy, the need to get up and _do_ something -to _move_ \- would prove to be too strong every time. But even so he knew that he couldn't stay. His brother would be awake soon and he didn't want to run the risk of the other coming to only to find him not there. He grimaced faintly.

That would be...not good.

If given the chance, his brother would do either one of two things: the first which was work himself into such a tizzy that he'd force himself into an error loop and crash, or the second which involved something that he liked to call 'Overprotective Brother Mode'. The former was bad because that make him have to go to his Dad so he could take a look at him and then be made to explain what had happened to have made his brother do such a thing which would inevitably result in his father giving him the 'Disappointed Dad' look before setting off on a lecture. While the latter, on the other hand, would involve his bother going off on a tangent that he'd be forced to listen to lest he invoke the wrath of the blue navi.

Which was never a good thing to do if you were the younger sibling to said navi. Why? Because he had access to every single one of the photos in the family's private album which featured you as a little kid. Including the one of that time that you trashed your mother's wedding dress, _especially_ the time with the wedding dress. And he would not be afraid to use it against you.

He shivered a bit.

"Right, back to Scilab I guess..." He sighed, taking a good look around himself. Better save this to memory because who knows when he was gonna be let out again. He turned away and began to walk forward. Alright, which direction had he come from again?...Um.

"...Ah, crap."

[ X ]

 **Finalizing Start-Up Sequence...**

...A set of bright green eyes fluttered open. Their owner _stretched_ , a yawn slipping past his lips. He rubbed at his eyes blearily as his programs slowly flickered back online. Rolling his shoulders with a twist, he winced a bit at the stiffness he felt there but that was okay. He was always a bit laggy after a good long recharge. _Pop!_ Aah, _much_ better. "Good morning Netto-kun!" He chimed once he felt a touch more awake.

Silence.

"Netto-kun?" He blinked, twisting towards the PET's internal chronometer to check the time. Ah so it was still kind of early then which meant that his little brother was probably still asleep. For a brief moment he contemplated letting the boy continue on with his rest but quickly nixed the idea with a shake of the head.

No, if he let his brother sleep in he'd probably be out of it clear past eight o'clock in the evening. ' _The lazy bones._ ' He thought with a fondly amused huff. Now that wouldn't do _one bit_ , after all Papa _did_ say he needed to run some more tests to make sure Netto's new welds and everything else had carried through alright. His smile dimmed somewhat.

His brother the Robot Master.

Even now the very idea twisted his processors into knots merely trying to fathom it. And to think, all this time he and his brother had been more alike than they had initially thought. Perhaps that was why they meshed so well? Because he...No, it didn't matter.

Netto was Netto.

It didn't matter if he had blood pumping through his veins or data and code like himself, he was still Netto Hikari.

He was still his little brother.

The smile fell from his lips, ' _Now if only I could get him to believe that..._ ' Netto had not taken things too well. Then again who would? Living your life believing one specific thing only to come to find out you were dead wrong and in more ways than one. He could see the logic behind it, yes, but that still didn't mean that he liked to see his little brother sad.

He'd thought he had gotten through to the boy the night before but with Netto you could never really be too sure. The younger Hikari possessed the rather nasty habit of masking what he truly felt as so not to make his friends and family worry. The stubborn dork, didn't he know that doing that usually made people worry _more_ not less? Probably not. Then again, he himself was rather guilty of doing so on occassion so it wasn't as if he were the only one. But even so, there was always one being who, despite his most valiant efforts, he could never quite fool. For an older brother always can see that which may hide behind the lie.

So Netto never really even bothered to do so, preferring to retain an open relationship with him and him alone. And he tried to do the same because if someone didn't call them out on their bullshit from time to time then who would? He smiled briefly then shook his head.

But he was just wool-gathering now wasn't he? Right, he still had a certain lazy bot that needed to be woken up. Quickly checking to see if the volume hadn't accidentally been shifted down during the night and nodding to himself when he saw that it remained okay the blue navi took in a deep breath and said, "Netto-kun, its time to get up now."

No response.

"Oh come on," He huffed, "I know that you're tired but you must've gotten at least _some_ sleep." When he didn't hear the customary grumbles of his half-awake sibling he let out a small sigh and placed his hands on his hips. " _Seriously_? Can't we have at least _one_ day where you actually listen to me and get up for a change?" Seeing as this hadn't so much as earned a twitch from the brunet, evidently not. Green eyes narrowed just a bit.

"Oh, I see. So that's the way it's going to be. I _know_ that you can hear me so stop goofing around and get up already." ...Okay, fine. If his brother was going to be that stubborn about this then it was time to pull out the big guns. "Netto Hikari if you don't get up _right this minute_ I'm going to go into the photo album and send _that picture_ to Mama." He wouldn't really but Netto didn't know that.

Truth be told, if that photo somehow ever managed to get out to their mother both he and his brother would both in a heap of trouble. Their father too come to think of it, seeing as the man covered for them back then. And _no one_ wanted to anger the Hikari matriarch if they could help it. Mama could be pretty scary when she was angry. He listened for his brother's reply.

Nothing.

Huh, that...usually worked. A flicker of worry wormed its way through his systems. Could something have happened to him? "Netto-kun...?" He ventured carefully. Blue gloved palms pressed up against the PET's screen as he attempted to get a better look around, but in truth it didn't seem to do him any good. The current angle of the device left a lot to be desired. A small frown formed on his face. Wasn't there _any_ way he could get a better view? Ah, perhaps if he used the wall monitor?

He quickly tracked down the wireless connection and linked it to the PET. Glancing over to the newly formed path, he took a step forward and allowed himself to be transported over to the monitor's network. Once inside he proceeded to hunt down the command panel that he knew would permit him to access the system's surveillance functions which would _hopefully_ allow him to see what was going on. He shifted on his feet impatiently as he waited for the program to load. The screen vwiped into view and he turned to it only to freeze when he processed what he saw there.

His brother was _gone_.

' _W-What? How-_ ' His eyes slowly drifted over to the open window. It took only the fraction of a second to process the image data then combine it with the well-standing knowledge of his brother's behaviour to come to understand just what exactly the other had done. He twitched, just a bit.

" _Netto Lan Hikari..._ " He brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. ' _I probably should have seen this coming._ ' The blue navi thought with a sigh.

Needless to say he was _not_ impressed.

Now don't get him wrong, he loved his brother more than life itself and would be an _absolute wreck_ if something ever happened to him, but _by god_ if he didn't have the urge to smack the boy upside the head right now for pulling this kind of shit on him. Idly, he wondered if his father would allow him one of the copybots to do so. Hm, maybe if he asked nicely? If not he could always just get one of the others to do it for him. He didn't think they would mind.

[ X ]

"Ow ow _ow freaking_ -!" He fell unceremoniously out of the bush and onto the concrete with a thud. "Ow..." The boy-bot sort of just sat there a moment, staring up at the sky as he allowed for the throbbing in his back to recede. Then slowly he pushed himself to his feet, taking a good look around at the industrial-type structures that now surrounded him. The air carried a certain gritty quality about itself, bringing about a kind of darkness that not even the faint rays of dawn could seem to dispel. On top of that none of these features struck him as particularly familiar which only lent to one conclusion.

He had absolutely no idea where he was.

He took in a deep breath and let out a low whimper, "I am so dead." Yep it was official, his Dad and brother were going to kill him. Because there was no way in hell that they hadn't noticed his little 'escapade' by now. Maybe it would have been better if he had stayed put in the forest instead of wandering off like an idiot. After all, that's what you're supposed to do when you're lost isn't it?

' _Well so much for_ that.' He sighed to himself. ' _Might as well keep going. Besides, maybe if I look around I'll get lucky and find someone who can point me back in the right direction._ ' He picked a point at random and began to walk towards it. Or at the very least he could ask to see if he could use their phones or something to come have someone pick him up. Man, what would they say when they saw him though?

The bot bit back a flinch as the disappointed visage of his father flashed briefly in front of his processors. He worried his lip at the wave of nervousness the sight provoked. This unease only served to further still as he image of his brother superimposed itself on the other and he was now faced with _two_ sets of disapproving stares instead of one.

"Maybe they won't be so mad?" He mumbled uncertainly.

' _Yeah, and maybe Enzan'll give up being a Net Savior, dye his hair pink, and join the circus._ ' His inner voice snarked. Who was he kidding, he was doomed. Although while the mental image a pink-haired, leotard-wearing Enzan attempting to walk across a tightrope _did_ bring him a trace of amusement it quickly gave way to despair as he bemoaned the fate that awaited him.

He was better off planning for his own funeral when his Dad finally managed to get a hold of him and proceeded to turn him into scrap. When he died would he go to the regular afterlife or was there some special sort of heaven for robots? Or would he simply cease to exist? He frowned faintly. That would really suck.

So preoccupied with these quandaries was he that the bot did not notice as his feet had begun to gravitate over towards the mouth of a nearby alley.

' _Well, I'm pretty sure I still have a soul or whatever so its possible that I could just wind up like Saito nii-san._ ' He mused. ' _Or maybe-_ ' "Ack!" He had tripped and wound up facedown on the ground with a mouthful of dirt for his trouble. "Pfft- _gack!_ Ugh..." Out spat the offending material as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Why the heck did that keep happening? Because, _honestly_ it was starting to get on his nerves. ' _What did I even fall over anyway?_ ' He chanced a look back. Before him lay the prone form of another human being. He blinked.

...Oh. That was...weirdly convenient.

He pulled himself up and edged closer to the body sprawled out across the pavement. ' _Are they dead?_ ' The brown-haired bot wondered. Was he going to have to deal with a corpse on top of everything else? Warily he crouched down to give a tentative prod and was immediately assaulted with the overpowering stench of alcohol. His nose scrunched up in distaste as he clapped a hand over it and drew back.

' _Okay so not dead. Just drunk._ ' Well at least they weren't dead, so that was one thing. He gave the form a contemplative stare.

Did he really want to deal with some drunkard? No, but this'd been the first person he had the luck of stumbling across since he'd arrived at wherever this was and it wasn't like he had very many options. So bugging the drunkard it was. With that he proceeded to administer a sharp poke to their side.

"Hey dude. That's no place to be napping, come on." Poke, poke. "Seriously man you're kind of in the way so get up." Another small jab to the ribs followed by a pap on the cheek, neither of which got so much as a response. The boy-bot groaned, " _Seriously?_ " He gave the figure one final prod before leaning back on his haunches. ' _Damn, out cold._ '

He huffed, staring at the prone form in exasperation. What to do now... Well he couldn't just leave them lying out there. Someone might trip over their body like he did. Brown optics narrowed as he jabbed an empathetic finger, "You better thank me for this later." And with that he fumbled for a grip on the figure's clothes and began to _pull_.

It took a bit of finagling but eventually he managed to prop them up against the side of a wall. "There." He smiled a small smile, "Now you're out of the wa-?!" The drunkard's eyes jerked open, catching the bot off guard. A startled yelp was all that he managed to get out before grubby hands lurched forward and snagged ahold of his pajama shirt. Wide-opticed, he struggled against the startlingly vice-like grip, "Dude _get off!_ "

The drunkard mumbled something, bloodshot eyes swiveling as they attempted to focus. Suddenly, they _grinned_ and he found himself shoved roughly back as the figure leered at him. "Tha' ya coul' get 'ne ou' me eh?" The pure venom in the slurred tone was enough to make him shiver. It was at this moment that he realize something with a stunning clarity; this guy was _dangerous_.

"Look man," Slowly he pushed himself up and took a definitive step back, wide brown optics never leaving the other's form for a second. He swallowed, attempting to steady his voice as he steadfastly ignored the way his hands shook at his side. Why was he so afraid? It was just _one guy_. ' _Yeah,_ ' An insidious voice whispered, ' _And without your friends and family; without that_ little blue PET of yours _so are you._ ' "I don't want any trouble."

They took a swaying stumble-step forward, "I tol' ya boss ifn' I saw 'em again I'd end 'em." The drunkard let out a chillingly off-kilter cackle which caused the brown-haired bot to take another step back. "Maybe now'll _listen!_ " With that the figure _lurched_ and it was all Netto could do to avoid those reaching hands.

He scrambled to the side, dodging another wild grab and earning a slurred curse for his efforts. He could not let them catch him, that much was certain. Who knew what they were going to do if they got their hands on him. It sure as hell wouldn't be pleasant at any rate. Sucking in a sharp breath, he ducked low under an outstretched arm and barreled on, sights set on the mouth of the alley and his ticket out of there.

But as luck would have it, at the very last second a gnarled hand snaked out and managed to snag the back of his collar. With a sharp jerk he suddenly found himself acquainted with the brick wall. A pained cry escaped him as his head connected with the rough stone behind him. However, he didn't have so much as a second to process this before that sickly leering face bore down on him and a set of grubby fingers coiled around his neck.

Blunt fingernails came up to scrabble against the vice-like grip. He kicked and flailed, desperate to break free from his captor's hold. He _needed_ to break free. (He could't breath, he needed _air-_ ) If he didn't he most certainly would die. (Oh god he was gong to die out here wasn't he?) He needed to break _free-_ (He was gong to die again because he snuck out like a goddamned _idiot_ and now nobody'd be able to find his rotting corpse and did robots even rot _oh god-_ )

He didn't want to die.

At that moment something inside of him _shattered_.

 **Automized Defensive Module Programming Safety-Lock...Disengaged**  
 **Systems Now Online...Scanning**  
 **Warning: Active Threat Found...Locating Engagement Protocol**  
 **Protocol Located...Engaging Weaponry Sub-Routines**  
 **File Name: [Mega Buster]...Active**  
 **Deploying Initial Shot...**

 _Bwtoom-crack!_

"..." The drunkard's face had contorted into an odd half-grimace as it -much like the rest of him- had frozen stock still. Bloodshot eyes slowly crept down the child's outstretched limb and along to the wall opposite which now sported a distinct new scorchmark embedded in the brickwork. The thick scent of charred earth tinged with ozone now coated the air. The hands around his neck slackened and he slid to the ground with an unceremonious thud where he proceeded to cough and hack, lungs finally able to get a dose of that much needed oxygen.

They stumbled back, a sobering fear bled into watery eyes as they stared at him -no not _him_ rather- but his arm. Dazed, brown optics followed the gaze until he saw. He sucked in a shocked breath. In the place of a relatively human-looking limb now stood the rounded barrel of a buster. What the hell...?

The awkward shuffle of shoes against pavement drew his attention away from his thoughts and forced him to recall the situation he was in. Having successfully pulled himself onto somewhat steady feet he trained the buster's sights on the other. He took a shaky breath.

Something deep within him recoiled at the very idea of pointing such a clearly dangerous and potentially lethal weapon at an unarmed human while another less-forgiving part chided that this guy _did_ just try to kill him and that turnabout was fair play. ' _Would it really be so bad as to scare him a little?_ ' This side seemed to whisper. ' _A low level shot to a non-vital area would be an effective discouragement to any further ideas of assault._ ' He shook his head, attempting to rid himself of the conflicting signals. He felt sick.

"J-Just stay back."

Those fear-ringed eyes watched him warily, a far cry from the anger that had been there not minutes before. "A-Ah so ya one a _those_ aren'tcha? Those metal mimics." The drunkard stumbled a step back, their gaze now trained on the buster. "Wha couldn' ya boss fin' a _human_ ta tak' me'n?" Their laugh was anemic and tinged with a sort of nervousness, the same kind one would expect when faced off with something like a wild animal. Having that sort of look aimed at him made his insides twist uncomfortably. He felt cold. "W-Well I'd like to see ya try ya metal monster!" So _very cold_.

Unwittingly, he took a step forward and at once realized his mistake. The drunkard panicked, gone was logic and reason in favour of flight. The figure scrambled back with a shrill screech, falling over their feet a bit as they fled towards the exit. "M-Monster! Fuck that I'm out!" They quickly picked themselves up, turned tail, and ran.

' _N-No...I'm not-_ '

And they were gone.

' _A monster..._ ' He went to lift a hand only to catch sight of the sleek metal barrel of his buster. He quickly let it drop and bit his lip. ' _I don't want to stay here anymore._ ' Was his only thought as he whirled about on his heel and bolted down the alley. A wetness began to build behind his optics. His neck hurt, his head hurt, his _chest_ hurt. ' _I'm_ not _a monster!_ ' Transformed limb clutched close to his chest as he ran, the metal felt heavy in his grasp.

' _...Am I?_ '

[ X ]

' _What the fuck, what the fuck?_ ' The numbed shock had eventually given way to a more volatile cocktail of emotions. ' _What the actual_ fuck?' Namely of which seemed to be panicked incredulity. The bot lost his footing and gasped, a hand shot out to catch him on the edge of a corner and he jerked to a stop. "Oh, god." He sank back against the wall for a moment and shut off his visuals, letting the rush of air filter through whatever passed as his lungs. In. Out. In. Out. In-

His visuals flicked back on.

What the hell just happened? Okay Hikari calm down for a second and try to _think_. He tried to help some passed-out drunk guy. Drunk guy turned out to be faking it and _absolutely fucking insane_. Then they somehow managed to get ahold of him and slammed him up against the wall (which _hurt_ by the way) before proceeding to choke the life out of him. Tentative digits touched the abused area and he fought back a wince. The hand withdrew and he raked it through messy brown locks, taking a deep shuddering breath.

He had almost died again.

' _You'd think after so many times a guy'd get used to it._ ' He thought with a morbid chuckle before shaking his head. ' _No, no, Netto_ focus. _What happened after that?_ '

What _had_ happened after that?

He had been...scared. He had been so _scared_. The logical side of him had just seemed to _shut down_ leaving a sort of instinctual fear in its wake. And then something inside of him had just... _broke_. Then there was light and heat and sound and...his hand had turned into a buster. His hand was a buster. He let out a harsh bark of laughter, a hand went up to clutch at his head only to come back with a small 'thunk' as the two objects met. He glanced up. His hand was _still_ a buster. Shit.

"...So how do I turn you back?" He took a moment to examine the weapon. It was a sleek little thing, all curves and rounded edges which lent to a more overall organic design. With no small measure of caution he trailed a finger down the plain casing and shivered at the tingle that ran up his spine. It was almost like someone had ran their nails down the back of his arm which technically was what he had done. Weird. Definitely weird. But at least he was certain the transformed limb was _his_. Brown optics stared for a second, at a loss.

' _O-Okay so there's this thing._ ' He tapped on a side panel- ' _So maybe if I..._ ' -and proceeded to have the everliving crap scared out him by the resulting explosion. "Ack!" A bright ball of plasma erupted from the end of the barrel and ricocheted off nearby walls to strike a shipping container off to his right. The thick steel now sported a rather sizable gap where the blast had hit.

"...Holy shit."

"What do you think you're doing boy?"

He wasn't exactly too proud of the noise that escaped his mouth just then. A glance down to the decidedly conspicuous weapon had him discreetly trying to hide the limb behind his back before he whirled to face the voice. It was rather tricky to spot the figure standing off to the side but he had the feeling that such was not the case for the other. He shivered just a bit. ' _Well its probably only because you kind of blasted a freaking hole through that container right there. That tends to get people's attention usually._ '

"Um...nothing really." He lied, shifting slightly, "Just taking a look around sir." The bot flashed what he hoped to be a convincing smile. A scrutinizing eye trailed down his form, taking in the disheveled clothing and bare feet before moving to the rather poor job he'd done of trying to conceal the weapon. The gaze shifted over to the faint markings that now adorned his neck to where he thought for a second that he caught the smallest flickers of _something_ before it was gone. The eye returned to his face, watching the brown-haired bot's expression closely. He swallowed.

"...It would be in your best interest not to dwell boy." The eye narrowed slightly, "You're conspicuous enough as is."

Okay, true but _rude_. "Oh, gee I hadn't noticed." He snarked under his breath before shooting the other a flat look, "Believe me, I don't really want to stick around here either but the problem is I don't really know where _here_ is anyway. I already tried asking someone else but-" He winced slightly, "-it didn't really go all too well."

They let out a snort, "Obviously." Their gaze turned thoughtful for a second before they turned on their heel and began to walk off. "There's a house over that way with the necessary supplies. Its out of the way so you won't be bothered by those irritating wearhouse workers."

Wait what? He squinted at the other. Did this guy just expect him to tag along? _Seriously_? "Yeah, no offense but... _really_? You seriously expect me to follow some random hobo to who-knows-where?" The look he gave him said just exactly what he thought about that. "Hah, thanks, but no."

"Either that or stand there like an idiot with your buster out. Your choice boy, do what you like." Okay, he had a point but- wait what? 'Buster'? How did he- The bot looked up just in time to catch the guy rounding the corner.

...He wasn't seriously thinking of _following_ the sketchy-ass hobo was he? After what happened earlier? That was just straight up _asking_ for trouble.

...Oh damn it all.

"Hey, wait up!"

[ X ]

Upon their arrival to the weathered down shack the man had pushed past him to head on through to a back room to which he promptly disappeared inside. The brunet tried not to be annoyed at the brusque dismissal in favour of checking out his new surroundings. The house was cramped and cluttered, with random piles of junk parsed about everywhere. It gave rise to the worry that he could potentially step on something nasty which would probably really friggin' hurt seeing as he wasn't wearing any shoes right now. 'Well I guess I'll just have to be careful then.' He decided as his curiosity got the best of him. The mechanical boy moseyed away from his spot in the doorway so that he may better examine the stuff within.

From what he could tell most of the stuff seemed vaguely mechanical in nature with nuts and bolts and wiring strewn about this way and that. He picked his way carefully around a large pile of broken gears and hopped a bit to avoid the thrashed security bot tipped over on its side when suddenly his gaze alighted on something. A curious island in a sea of scrap, it stood free of debris all save for single solitary photograph. He leaned in to get a better look.

Featured in their full-faded glory were three figures: a comely young woman who's bright grin had been captured ad infinitum, a gangly-looking teen who had been smiling not at the camera but someone else entirely, the recipient of said smile who was revealed to be a young girl clinging shyly to the back of her mother's skirts. It was strange, but when he looked upon the three he felt the faintest stirring of deja vu, as if he had seen these people somewhere before but where-

"Hey don't touch that you brat!"

The mechanical boy started and twisted to face the speaker, "Ah, I'm sorry I was just-"

He froze.

The supposed hobo had removed his thick coat and hat to reveal the form of none other than his maternal grandfather himself, the mad roboticist and former head of the WWW, Dr. Albert Wily.

B-But how? Why, what-

And instantly it clicked. This...This place was his wasn't it? Dr. Wily, the one person aside from his father who could effortlessly dismantle him and had on more than one occasion tried to do just that. And he had unwittingly followed the man back to his personal lair.

' _I may have made a huge mistake._ '

Seemingly keen on ignoring the boy-bot's gawking he walked over to a low table and settled down. The old man's face donned a flattened expression, "Yes that gaping fish impression is _very charming_ but will you knock it off and get over here? I don't have all day.

He closed his mouth and eyed the other with suspicion, "Why should I?" The guy wasn't exactly trustworthy.

Wily clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Boy, if I had wanted to hurt you I would've done it already. Besides," He gestured to the transformed limb, "I'm not the one with a weapon out right now, am I?"

...Well he had a point, but here was a counter: "With your skill in robotics you probably wouldn't need one if you wanted to turn me into scrap metal." His lips pursed as he mumbled under his breath, " _Not like you haven't tried that before._ "

That strange flicker was back again and gone before he knew it. The man simply shrugged as he turned to examine something at his side, "Well you aren't wrong."

Brown optics narrowed imperceptibly as he stood there for a moment before finally making up his mind. Slowly he tip-toed around the piles of scrap and over to the edge of the table where he plonked himself down. Neither of them spoke, the old scientist too focused on whatever it was he was doing with a small bundle of wires and the other unwilling to engage in conversation until he discerned the human's intentions. The silence stretched on for a bit before it began to wear on his nerves thus causing the young Robot Master to fidget.

But how did one even start a conversation with an estranged-grandfather-slash-mad-roboticist-bent-on-world-domination anyhow? Start off with a 'Hi, how are you? How have you been? Why did you try to kill me and my brother?' He inwardly snorted, yeah because that would go over _real well_.

He curled up slightly, the warm metal of the buster arm clutched to his chest like a security blanket. He missed Saito nii-san. With a soft smile and a kind word his brother was a beacon of light in the darkness, always able to pull him out of the jumble that was his head whenever he got in too deep. He didn't like to be left alone with his thoughts for too long because sometimes...they scared him. But hell, he'd take that in a heartbeat if he didn't have to put up with _this_.

...Ahaha nope, nope, _nope_ he was _not_ going there. No sir. Not here, not now, not ever. Come on bolt brain think of something _anything-_

"You're my grandfather."

... _Really?_ That's the best you can come up with? He internally facepalmed.

True to form Wily didn't even falter," So Yuichiro told you?"

He stared blankly for a second before recovering, "Didn't have much of a choice." The boy-bot admitted, glancing down at the tabletop, "I got in a fight and had my arm ripped off. Saw all that not-blood and wiring so he kind of had to spill." The chuckle that escaped was anemic at best, "Besides its kind of hard to forget something like that." Was it him or did he see the man _hesitate_ for a moment?

"Not if you go and wipe the related memory files." The old scientist grumbled, "I know damn good and well that soft-hearted fool would've tried to 'spare you the pain' or something else ridiculous like that so why didn't he?"

The Robot Master went very _still_. His father could do that? Just erase bits and pieces of his memory? Had he ever done that before and if so what had he been made to forget? If...If Laika and Enzan hadn't been there was that what he would've done to him? To his brother? The idea was...chilling.

He felt a traitorous tendril of fear creep up before he ruthlessly squashed it. No. No he had to be lying. There was no way. Still he found himself saying, "Couldn't. There were witnesses. Officials and the like." His brother being one of them.

"Dad...He told us what happened to my brother and me. He told us about the 'Robot Masters' project and how you and Gramps worked on it with him." He hesitated somewhat before plowing on, "You were going to make us into weapons." His stare turned accusing, "You were going to do it with _stolen parts._ "

The older man merely lifted a brow, "Oh yeah?"

He also felt compelled to add, "He also told us how he punched you in the face."

Wily snorted, "Cheeky brat, that right?"

"Are you saying he's a liar?" He challenged.

"Of course not. _I'll never understand how that damned upstart acquired such a mean right hook._ " The old man groused under his breath. He lifted up a shard of glass to the light to inspect it and scowled, evidently displeased with what he saw, before tossing it back. "But you do know what he gave you was probably the kiddie version right?"

The grip on his buster tightened slightly. Of course he knew, he was young, not _stupid_. He knew there were things that had been glossed over, things that the man was keeping from him and his brother -which admittedly stung a bit- but he also knew that if these things needed to be said their father would probably tell them on his own time.

...Right?

(' _But why even have the need for secrecy?_ ' A voice in the back of processor cried. ' _Why all the lies and deception? Doesn't he trust you? Or perhaps it is_ he _who cannot be trusted?_ ' He told that voice to shut up.)

"Why?"

Such a simple question and yet so loaded.

Why did you try to turn us into something like that? Why compelled you to agree to do this to my brother, to me? Why did you even bother to help us in the first place?

"Because," He placed a few parts on a dirty hand towel, taking care to set each piece side-by-side. "Despite having that fool Hikari and his son in your blood you also have Haruka in there as well." Much to his shock there was an actual trace of sadness in the older man's tone. "She thought the world of you boys and far be it from me to want to keep my daughter happy. So I set to give the two of you the capability to _conquer_ and _dominate_ that which was rightfully yours."

The old man's gaze turned a tad wistful, "You, my young Robot Master, would have been a _king_ , vastly superior to any foolish human or navi that dared stand in your way." And then it darkened, "And if not for the damned meddling of Tadashi and his fool-hearty son everything would've worked out _perfectly_ , but no." He spat, "Nobody appreciates _true genius_."

The boy-bot stared _hard_ , an indignant spark intermingling with something rolling and dark underneath his false skin. Brown optics narrowed, "Wily they stopped you because what you were doing was _wrong_." Then his voice quieted, the next words coming out as a dangerous hiss, "You say you wanted to give us the world? Well I think you're _full of it_. Do you have _any idea_ of what you've put our family through with all the crap you've pulled?" He met the other's gaze straight on.

"One of your goons tried to _burn our house down_. It was a good thing that we were there at the time so that we could fight off the worst of it," Those sharpened eyes further narrowed into slits, "But that didn't stop Mama from getting some pretty bad burns on her hands from when she tried to help put out the flames." He continued on, his tone now taking on a sort of glacial frost, "And I don't think I need to remind you about how you almost _deleted my brother_."

The other seemed nonplussed for a second before his eye narrowed, "Those ignorant fools couldn't carry out an order if it smacked them in the back of the head and as such all acts brought about by their own stupidity is on their own hands, _not mine_. And that other was your own damn fault you brat-" At this the boy-bot _bristled_ , "-for even a brilliantly designed Robot Master AI is still a mere program without a body to house it. And programs that opt to get in the way of something like my Life Virus are on a set course for deletion."

The tenuous thread that currently held back his frayed temper finally _snapped_. Before he could comprehend it he was on his feet, a harsh pulse of static roared behind his ears as his buster flared to life. The inbuilt weapon whirred ominously at this side. It hindsight flying off the handle like this was probably a _very stupid_ idea but at the moment simply _didn't care_. Having shoved that thought to the back of his mind, he brought his hand down on the table _hard_. "It's your fault Saito doesn't have a body in the _first place!_ "

He panted, audio sensors still ringing from the intense shout. He could feel himself shake with the force of some unknown emotion. (Was it anger? Sadness? Righteous indignation? Or some untoward mix of the three; he hadn't the slightest clue. But whatever it was it felt deep and nasty and it _hurt_.) A strange blurriness began to prickle at his visuals and he could see a drop of liquid splash across the table's cracked surface. Followed by another and then another.

The elder kept his gaze steadfast on the miscellaneous pile beside of him and appeared to be rather uncomfortable with the display of emotion. Good. The jerk had it coming. Though to be honest that outburst had drained quite a bit of energy out of him and he now found that he wasn't quite able to keep on his feet for much longer. "...Why." It wasn't a question. He sniffed, scrubbing at his face with the back of his hand. _Damn it_... "I...I just don't get it."

"Because boy," The old man sounded subdued- _drained_ almost, "Humans, unlike robots, are foolish prideful things." A hand clasped onto something from the pile and he glanced at it before setting it back, "Though, like all things, arrogance is also subject to entropy." Netto shot him a confused look at the unfamiliar term, "With time even the most haughty will fall." He elaborated.

Oh, right. That made a bit more sense. The boy-bot nodded slowly. He placed his hand on his head, fingers rubbing at his temple to alleviate some of the pressure that had formed there. Risking a glance up at Wily, he scowled. It was odd, to reconcile the man before him with the madman of his memory that they had taken down not sometime before. This Wily appeared to be a touch more solemn, if still somewhat of an asshole. Not entirely juxtaposed with the crotchety old hobo image he presented himself as. He let out a silent sigh. Maybe when he got back home he could ask for some painkillers, with how things have been so far he felt that he might need them...

[ X ]

It was silent for a good bit after that. He had pulled his legs up to his chest and proceeded to stare at the far wall, his head feeling both too empty and too full at the same time. He had no idea what time it was now but it felt as though it had been hours. His free hand toyed with the casing of the buster idly. He still had no idea how to change the dang thing back of course. Frowning faintly, he let the transformed limb fall to the ground with a 'thud'.

"Quit that."

He glanced over with a dulled expression, ' _Oh so_ now _he speaks._ ' "Bite me."

"I already have enough broken things without having more added on to the pile." A pointed look was sent to the sizable dent in the table's surface. The brown-haired bot coloured slightly.

"Sorry." He mumbled, not quite feeling it. The old roboticist just sort of squinted at him before letting out a loud harumph. He thought this to be the end of it until the man slid an old towel filled with miscellaneous parts over to him. He stared at it blankly,"...What's this?"

"Parts for an old holo-projector." Right and that explained nothing. "Damn thing's trashed so its not like you could make it any worse and maybe it'll keep you from destroying _anything else_ of mine."

...Wait so he was giving it to him to work on or something? Well sure it beat staring at a wall but he honestly didn't really know all that much about the hardware aspect of electronics aside from the bits and pieces of stuff that his mom showed him. "I...I've never really _worked_ with this kind of thing before. I mean I'm more of a programmer myself, ya'know?" He waved his hand in a vague gesture as if to illustrate his point.

The roboticist gave him a _look_ , "If my girl could construct a fully functional hovercraft at the age of ten then you should be able to do _something_ with that."

"...Mama built a _hovercraft?_ "

Wily nodded, "And it was a work of art too. She never told you?" A shake of the head, this was news to him. "She rode that thing around everywhere." There was a slightly wistful look in the man's eye before his expression darkened, "Used it to get in trouble too." He grumbled something under his breath that sounded curiously like 'those blasted Hikari brothers' followed by a vindictive that had him raise a brow.

He had known that his mother was rather proficient with the mechanical side of things due to her engineering degree and the fact that she was always the one to fix things around the house when they broke (unless that stuff was computer or virus related to which the job would be passed off to him and his brother or, on the rare occasion that he was home, their father) but to think, a _hovercraft_.

"To be fair," He mused, "I think the reason she never told me was because she was probably afraid I'd go ahead and try it myself." And he _totally_ would have too. A hovercraft sounded _awesome_. Wily snorted, seeming to agree. "But even so-" He glanced at the pile of parts and lifted his buster slightly, "Kind of hard to do things one-handed."

Wily just gave him that look again, "Then just dismiss the stupid thing."

' _I would but I don't exactly trust you dude, plus I don't really know how._ '

"You can't can you?"

Urk, got it in one. "I-I so can!" Wily merely lifted a brow. He flushed and looked away with a huff.

"...Right. Give me your arm."

"Huh why-?!" Without warning the man reached over and took a hold of the buster limb, from there he began to examine it. "H-Hey let go!" He protested, squirming and pulling against the older man's deceptively strong grip. Suddenly the roboticist let go and he fell back on his butt with an 'oof'. Brown optics shot the doctor a dark look as the other turned to a nearby toolbox, "What the heck-"

"You somehow managed to force a program override to such an extent that the system lock disengaged the safety protocols and broke the shift trigger mechanism in the process." The doctor hummed, now seemingly in his element. "Could've affected some connection nodes too which would adversely effect some internal programs and..." It was at this point that the technical jargon became too much and he tuned the older man out. He lifted his hand to rub at the back of his head, wincing when the fingers touched a sore place there. Damn, when did he get such a nasty bruise?

"Must've been when that drunk slammed me into that wall." He murmured, not noticing the way Wily had cut off in his spiel and narrowed his eye at his words.

" _Anyhow_ , it seems like a simple fix and I have all the parts I need so-" The doctor made to grab the buster again only to be stopped when he yanked it out of reach and cradled it close to his chest. He eyed the other suspiciously.

"Hold on, who says I'm gonna let you 'fix it'? How do I know you aren't gonna do something weird to it instead?"

The other just gave him this _look_ that pretty much told him what the doctor thought of his intelligence at the moment. He puffed up in indignation. _Rude_. "You forget who helped build you _boy_." The old man growled, "Like hell am I going to let one of my Robot Masters walk around with only semi-competent maintenance. God only knows what Tadashi's boy did to your frame structure and comprehensive programming..." From here the tangent seemed to dissolve into a series of muttered grumbling whose subjects seemed to range from various insults to his paternal lineage to assorted technical jargon that he could only assume referred to himself to even the occasional begrudging half-compliment.

He had to wonder if it was healthy for someone to mutter that much. Maybe the old guy was senile? ...Yeah, actually now that he thought about it that did make a lot of sense. "Um, yeah but still, you _did_ try to kill me." He felt the need to remind him.

Wily rolled his eye, picking up the toolbox and setting it on the table, "To be fair-" He grabbed the youth's arm, blithely ignoring his protests and flipped the box open. "Back in the beginning I didn't know that it was _you_ who was the one thwarting all my plans. Only that it was some upstart prat and his navi causing a ruckus." He selected a flathead screwdriver and felt around the buster until a panel clicked open. A hiss escaped through the brunet's teeth. It didn't hurt per say but _man_ if it didn't feel _weird_.

"What about after?"

The old man shrugged, prodding a couple of wires with a disapproving click of the tongue. "Between the numerous setbacks you caused me and the incompetence of my minions, I didn't rightly _care_ who was doing the damage at that point. Only that they seemed intent on being a major thorn in my side and that I was going to stop them from ruining everything even if I had to take them down with me." He turned to dig through the box and came back with a small screw which he then slotted into a matching hole. "Not that it would've mattered all that much anyway. Even if your body got completely thrashed so long as your central core remained intact you could have just been pieced back together."

He carefully placed the gear he had been examining down and looked at the doctor with a decidedly neutral expression. "That's...good to know?" I think... Letting the conversation drop he turned back to the old holo-projector. While he was still somewhat leery of anything to do with the man tinkering with the thing would probably keep his mind of of whatever it was he was doing with his arm with the added bonus of warding off any other unprompted attempts at conversation on the other's part.

Plus he was really kind of bored.

He felt around for the small multi-tool that had been placed off to the side before turning back to the pile of seemingly miscellaneous junk. He twirled the tool between his fingers. ' _Right now let's see what we've got. Seven of those, a weird lens, couple of screws, a gear or two, not entirely sure what that thing is but it looks cool; maybe some sort of internal component?_ ' He hummed, flicking open the multi-tool to select a flat bit and proceeding to pry the hard plastic casing away from its shell. ' _Ah, that little prong thingy doesn't look quite right. Maybe if I straighten it out..._ '

He fell into an easy rhythm with Wily working on his arm and him on the holo-projector. Much to his own surprise, the reconstruction was coming along nicely. ' _Its almost like a puzzle._ ' He thought as he switched an old lens out for a newer one. The replacement clicked into place.

The doctor's gaze flicked up and he watched the brown-haired bot work for a second. "Huh I'm surprised, you're actually doing better than I thought you would."

He, naturally, took offence to this, "What, did you think I'd be stupid or something?" He rolled his optics with a snort, "Okay, yeah- I mean I kind of suck at stuff like school and homework but that's just cause I can't focus, not because I'm dumb or anything." He snapped a connector in with a bit more force than necessary, his lips pulled into a faint frown. "Why does everyone think that?"

"Because they're slow-witted fools whose thought processes can't keep pace with someone whose processors are always making leaps ahead while they're still at the starting gate. Besides, who has time to sit down and discuss _theory_ when you can be out actually accomplishing things?"

"Exactly!" He smacked his palm down eliciting a creaking groan from the table and a sharp look from the doctor himself. He stopped himself as he realized, ' _Wait am I actually_ agreeing _with him?_ ' He didn't quite know how to feel about that.

The doctor snorted derisively, "Kid, there's no way an idiot could've foiled my plans so thoroughly. An exceedingly cheeky brat, perhaps, but not an idiot. What you think having two generations of geniuses running through your blood wouldn't have done anything?"

"But I'm a robot. I don't even have blood." Weird red stuff yes, blood no.

Wily prodded the arm with his screwdriver, eliciting a yelp from the boy-bot. "Semantics. You're an AI program based on the genetic code of someone with ties to both the Wily clan and the Hikari clan, so it still counts." He tweaked something that made the Robot Master gasp.

"You know, that 'lack of focus' is a rather common problem in those with superior intellect such as myself, or your mother." He cleaned off the tool and set it to the side. "And Haruka was always more of a kinesthetic learner so it makes sense for you to be one as well."

The boy-bot glanced up from the holo-projector in confusion, "A what?"

"Kinesthetic. Hands-on." The doctor dug through the box in search of something, "You learn things better by doing rather than having it spelled out for you by a book or a so-called teacher."

"Oh." That...made a lot of sense actually. Maybe he could ask his brother to look up some stuff about it when he got back, you know, for curiosity's sake. Saito nii-san wouldn't mind. "Saito...oh _shit._ " And suddenly he remembered, his father and brother were going to _murder him_. He let out an agonized groan and placed his head in his hand. "They're probably looking for me now." Catching sight of the befuddled doctor's expression he explained, "You remember what I said earlier? About the limb incident? Well I was getting repairs done at the labs but it was an all-night thing and I was _supposed_ to be resting but I couldn't sleep so I thought 'hey maybe a walk'll clear my head' so I snuck out-"

"And you got lost.

He coloured slightly, "Hey why don't you try navigating the woods in the dark and see how well you do. It's not like I have night-vision or anything to help me out." He paused for a second. "Do I?"

"No."

"Damn, that would've been nice."

The panel on his arm snapped shut as the seal clicked into place, he blinked looking up at Wily who was now putting his things away. "That should hold for now. The morph trigger's been repaired and should allow you to switch between the base buster and your regular arm at will."

"Oh, cool I guess. Um, how do I-?"

"Don't you even know how to operate your base functions boy?" The old man groused.

"Seeing as I'm asking you, _evidently not._ "

This just got him a grumble, "Go into your program menu, do a function search for your ADM programming then go into the file labeled 'Mega Buster' and switch it to standby."

' _...And just how am I supposed to do_ that?' He wondered as the other just sort of stared at him expectantly. ' _Um, right. No pressure or anything... Program menu, program menu, let's see-oh!_ '

A curious-looking screen flicked into view in his mind's eye. It resembled for the most part those command prompts that he had seen many a time on his ventures into coding on the net, which made sense he supposed, seeing as his brain was basically a really fancy computer. ' _Now how do I...?_ ' Winging it, he just sort of _thought_ at the screen and was surprised when a line of text popped up.

 **Function Search...Input Command**

' _Oh hey, neat! So what was it I was supposed to look for, a-something? Ah 'ADM', right!_ ' He mentally keyed in the term and was instantly rewarded with a list bearing the file that he needed. From there it was a simple thing to change the weapon from active to standby.

The boy-bot jolted when he felt the parts in his arm _shift_ as the buster dismantled itself and slipped back into his frame. He opened his optics, not realizing he had closed them, and stared down at the synthetic skin in awe. Flexing his fingers, he was pleased to find that the digits responded to the mental command.

He glanced up to see that Wily had gotten up from the table and had taken the holo-projector with him. The old man had stationed himself at a small worktable off to the side and he could hear the occasional grumble as the doctor checked over his work with a critical eye. It was kind of hard to tell from this angle but he thought he saw the man touch up a few things before sliding something into the device's side.

Not that he had time to question it of course, as the object was suddenly sent sailing towards him. He fumbled to catch it. "Wha-"

"Keep it. Not like I have a use for the dang thing."

"Ah...Okay? Thanks." He gave the device another quick look before sliding it into his pants pocket. Standing from his seat, he glanced at the door.

"Straight out through the second warehouse, take a left, then turn the corner at the offloading ramp. You'll see a huge gate at the end, go through that and you'll find yourself at the main road. Now get." He made a shooing motion with his free hand, "Don't need those pesky authorities crawling all over the place thinking I kidnapped you or something."

The young robot watched him for a moment before nodding slowly, he turned to face the door. "...Thanks for fixing my arm Old Man." And then he was out of there, shooting off like a light. It was funny but he almost thought he heard a sharp bark of laughter as he loped away, the building slowly disappearing behind him.

[ X ]

His head was in the clouds as he walked, feet plodding along rhythmically as he thought. What a weird day this had turned out to have been. His hand brushed absently against the pocket where the old holo-projector lay. Why the man had suddenly decided to help was beyond him, but it made him wonder. Brown optics lifted up to take in the bright blue sky.

His attention was dragged back down to earth by the sudden screech of tires against asphalt. He turned just in time to see a car jerk to stop right beside of him. The passenger side door popped open and he came face to face with the familiar visage of the driver. And he did _not_ look happy.

"Meijin-san?"

"Get in." The tone brokered no room for argument and it was hard for him to bite back a shiver. Reluctantly he slid into the passenger side seat and shut the door. "Seatbelt." The strap clicked into place and he shifted the car back into gear before pulling out.

"...On a scale of one to ten how mad are they?" He asked in a small voice.

The scientist just gave him a flat _look_ , "What do you think?" He winced, curling into himself just a bit. The silence carried on until the man pulled up to a stoplight. "There's someone who would like to talk to you." And with that he dug around thought the pockets of his labcoat for a second before pulling out a familiar blue device: his PET. Uh-oh. He gingerly took the device and held it away from him as if it were a bomb about to go off. Risking a look at the screen he tried for a smile, "A-Ah...hey there Rockman, how's it going?"

His brother looked _so_ unimpressed.

"Netto Lan Hikari-" Ooh, full name. Not good. "-if Meijin-san wasn't driving right now I would've had him to smack you upside the head for me." The younger Hikari sunk down in his seat. His brother folded his arms across his chest, "You left."

"It was only for a walk."

The navi's eyes narrowed, "You left after you _promised_ that you would get some rest."

"I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake you up because of a little restlessness. Besides, you needed the recharge more than I did."

Rockman faltered for a second before collecting himself and stating, "Yes, but you _didn't come back._ "

The boy-bot sheepishly ducked his head and looked away, unable to meet his brother's accusing gaze. "I got lost?" He offered weakly.

His brother's stare bore into him and he had to resist the urge to fidget before those piercing green eyes seemed to widen. "Netto," He started in a carefully neutral tone, "What happened to your neck?"

Ack, of course the stupid shirt didn't cover that up. Okay, okay, just think of something before he gets suspicious er- more than he already is at any rate. "It's from...a tree."

"A tree."

That was the best you could come up with?! Argh, okay just roll with it Netto. Roll with it. "Yup, a tree root to be exact. You know those big woods just outside the labs -what am I talking about of course you do- well I was trying to find my way through them in the dark, not easy by the way, when out of _nowhere_ this big honking tree root appears and naturally I wind up tripping over the thing."

His brother stared at him for a _long_ moment processing what was obviously a complete and utter fabrication before he slowly covered his face with his hand and let out a long-suffering sigh. "Are you...Do you _seriously_? I mean I just can't-" His expression said it all, " _Really?_ "

"Netto this isn't funny." The young scientist's fingers drummed against the steering wheel, "When Rockman came to us and said you'd gone missing we initially tried to locate you with the signal from your GPS tracker only to find it had up and vanished. So naturally we were very worried."

The young man's lips curved into a terse frown, "The fact that you just tried to lie right now -don't give me that look, even _I_ could come up with a better story than that- only cinches it; something happened."

"Yea- wait. 'Signal from your GPS tracker'?"

Meijin allowed himself a small smirk, "How else would we be able to keep tabs on you with all the trouble you manage to get yourself into?"

He wasn't quite sure what to make of that to be honest. Distracted, the boy-bot looked up to find the pair staring fixedly at him. One face appeared expectant tinged with worry as its owner fretted with the many possibilities while the other maintained an impassive calm, although he could see the curious light gleaming behind those frames.

"Look, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to but I believe it would be a bit easier for all of us if we got this stuff in the open now as opposed to later so we could at least have some measure of what's really going on." A smirk touched the corners of his lips, "Besides, I think Rockman's about to work himself into a system crash with all the fretting he's been doing."

Said navi puffed his cheeks out with a huff, "Am not." This brought forth the ghostly flicker of a smile from his younger brother which only faded as the reality of his situation came back to him. The boy-bot fought back a sigh. He wasn't going to get out of this was he? Not unless he wanted to jump from a moving car, he wasn't.

"Guys listen, I really did just go out for a walk. It was really dark out in the woods and I got lost. I know I should've waited for one of you guys to come and find me but I thought I could find the way back myself. I was wrong and wound up getting even more lost." He scowled faintly at that part and continued on, "So then I figured that maybe if I could find somebody else I could get them to give me directions or even better yet let me use their phone so I could so I could get you guys to pick me up."

"And the hand-print shaped bruises around your neck?"

He looked away, unable to meet their eyes. "There _might've_ been an incident involving a drunk guy I found lying on the street."

"Netto!"

"But I took care of it!" He tacked on at seeing his brother's horrified expression, "Relax, I'm _fine_." He most certainly was not but they didn't need to know that. "They must've mistook me for someone else or something, I mean I could smell the booze all over this guy so they probably weren't in their right mind anyway, but not like it matters all that much because I managed to get away okay in the end."

Sure he felt bad about pretty much lying through his teeth but if he told them the truth he didn't think things would turn out so good. (Seeing the blue navi worry like that always made him feel ten kinds of shitty and he hated feeling like that with a passion. That's why he strove to show his older brother that he could handle things, if only to keep the other's fears at bay. His brother had a nice smile and he didn't want to be the one to make him lose it.)

A hand went up to rub the back of his head before he remembered the rather nasty spot there. He was unable to fight back the resulting wince nor could he stop his keen brother from catching it. The blue navi simply cocked a brow, waiting.

"Ah, I _might've_ hit my head a bit in the scuffle too..." The laugh that followed sounded weak even to his own ears.

"Netto..."

Meijin's frown deepened somewhat, "Head injuries are pretty serious. You should have your father check it out once we get back."

Something flickered lightning-quick across his face before his features shifted into a carefully maintained blankness, "'Kay." His hand dropped down to his lap as he shuffled a bit, feeling something brush up against his leg. The holo-projector. His optics widened minutely, "Oh hey that reminds me, I met this old hobo earlier who let me camp out at his place for some reason. He let me look through his junk piles-" And he _just_ realized how bad that sounded, "- _not like that_ , I mean like _literal_ piles of junk and scrap metal. Anyway, I got this thing-" He dug through his pocket and pulled out the device.

"Huh, what is it?"

He looked over the device with a slightly curious air, what had the doctor done to it he wondered. "Said it was an old holo-projector or something but I'm not really sure." The brown-haired bot held the holo-projector close to the PET so his brother could see it better.

The elder Hikari twin thoughtfully canted his head to the side as he looked over the strange device, "Does it work?"

Flipping it over in his hand to where he knew a small covered switch reside, the Robot Master hummed. "I dunno, the thing was pretty broken when I first got it." He frowned, picking at the seal until it decided to come undone and reveal its prize: a rather diminutive switch. He flicked it on.

For a moment nothing happened then suddenly an image flickered into view above the lens, successfully startling the brothers. The projection lasted all of two seconds before it fizzled out to a staticed snow. "Oh _come on,_ " He groaned and smacked the holo-projector against his leg. The image frizzed for a moment before its clarity returned. "Hah! Yes! _Suck it!_ " He crowed triumphantly, and leaned in to get a better look.

"Least we know it works now." Meijin chimed from the driver's seat.

But he really wasn't paying any attention, instead remaining decidedly locked on the projection. Indeed it seemed as though the mechanical boy had frozen into a statue-like state, his expression being decidedly blank. ' _T-This is...but how? W-Why...Why would he give me something like_ this _?_ ' He thought, his racing processors a stark contrast to the increasingly forced mask he now wore.

"Netto-kun? What is it?" Having noticed the other freeze up the blue figure craned his head in order to get a better view of the likely cause for this curious behaviour but coming from the angle he was at it was rather difficult. But from what he _could_ see the image seemed consist of...some kind of schematic? Suddenly the projector fizzled out and the boy-bot mechanically slid the holo-projector back into his pants pocket. The action caused his brother to blink up at him in confusion.

The Robot Master turned his head away, brown optics focusing on the scenery scrolling past. "It's...nothing." His voice cracked slightly and he took a moment to reign it back under control, but even then there was a curious sheen to the youth's optics. "I'll show you later Rockman 'kay? When we get back home."

Unbidden, a faint but shaky smile tugged at the corner of the boy-bot's lips. Maybe that crotchety old coot wasn't so bad after all...


End file.
